THE WOLFE DYNASTY
History of Wolfe Motors, Chapter IV
Lore alert! Beware.
December 1984 - Wolfe HQ
The last few years were very tumultuous. Under Noel’s leadership, the Letaran market increased even further. With good gambles, the Wolfe models were seen a lot on the streets, the 4TRAC and ESX being the most popular - Wolfe hit a nerve.
The Japanese mergers were all done now. While Noel’s dad was ousted by the new board afterward, Noel was named CEO… however, it came with some not so different changes.
The board was much stronger and diverse now. This hampered Noel’s vision slightly, but he was still mostly in control of Letara’s market… but less so of other important markets.
All this also meant that Wolfe’s HQ had to move… to Japan. This was a compromise that broke Noel’s heart, but in exchange he would 100% be in control of any Letaran’s orientation. He was also allowed to work on a special project.
This new prototype was based on the old Razor idea of a pure sport racing car, but brought to mainstream. This is how the first real consumer sport car for Wolfe - the XSR - would see the light of day. No one really knew if it would even sell, so Letara was targeted first by Noel.
The strategy was also quite different this time. After some off the rails prototypes like the Vampira, this was to be first and foremost a consumer car. The first model would be a simple entry model, good all rounder. It was risky no going out to impress the market with the top trim first, but Noel was adamant this was going to be the way to go…
BACK TO PRESENT - December 2023, the great white north*
At the breakfast table, she was sitting alone, perusing over some old family photo albums. When the husband came in.
Husband - “Good morning love, you still reminiscing?”
She ignored him as usual for a few minutes before looking.
Mother - "What? Oh, good morning honey. Sorry, I was … " she held back some tears.
Husband - “It’s ok love… I can leave the room if you need to…”
Mother - “No… stay, sorry. I still miss him so much. Our daughter still asked me when he was coming back this morning.”
They talked for a bit and as soon as he left for work, she was back to the old album. She still was hung up on this photo - Noel and his son, posing on the side of a XSR Elite Black at its launch in 91, with a young girl beside them. Her dad was about 25 years old, so that means she was about 7 then.
It was hard. Her dad was battling multiple health issues and died a few months ago, not even making it to 60. He looked like he was 80 years old at the funerals. All that damn Wolfe drama ate at him every, single, day. He could never accept that he was never brought in the company by his selfish dad… Noel.
Mom, muttering - “This really was the beginning of the end… for you dad.”
THE END
Letara 1986 - Wolfe XSR
Finally, the first true consumer sports car from Wolfe is released. The eXperimental Sport Razor, XSR for short.
The first model was a bit lackluster, it did not look like much when you saw it in your rearview mirror, but it did look a bit more special when it passed you by on the motorway.
Letara would be the first test for this 2-seater 200hp mid-engine sport car. Wolfe finally left the Ladder frames behind and embraced a monocoque design, with full aluminium panels, and a mid-transverse V6.
At about 1000kg, it was small and still agile, with a 4-speed manual transmission. The redline was 8200rpm and the 2.5L all-aluminium VTEC was responsible, but not too much to handle. With a simple interior, it did not feel like a premium car but provided solid performance with a top speed of 250km/h and 5.3s 0-100 acceleration.
It was not cheap but was still well under luxury territory. Will it conquer the letaran market, or will it be quickly forgotten? This was a big gamble for Wolfe…
Letara 1988 - Wolfe XSR V8
Two years later, Wolfe came back with the V8 trim of the XSR. Wolfe felt the performance of the base model was not up to its Razor-namesake, so they decided to put a rebuilt and modernized old Razor V8 in there. This was purely muscle-car inspired.
It was a bit heavier than the base model, but the 4.0L VTEC V8 developed over 420hp with a 8800rpm redline. A new 5-speed manual was added, and styling was upgraded. Interior was sport-oriented and had much more amenities than the base model, but was not an easy beast to tame with its 320km/h top speed and 3.3s 0-100. At a bit below 1.5x the price, it was aimed at the enthusiasts and speed freaks.
Letara 1991 - Wolfe XSR Elite Black
Finally, the top trim was released in 91. The XSR Elite Black. Embracing the turbo for the first time on the street, the 2.8L V6 Twin Turbo VTEC brought 400hp to the table, and despite having less than the V8 trim, it topped its smaller brothers performance - 3.3s 0-100 and a top speed of 330 km/h.
It included LSD, tons of performance parts and improvements, a luxurious interior with a CD player, traction control and advanced safety features, but still sporting a Rack & Pinion steering despite the model being the heaviest yet at 1160kg. Not as sporty as the pure V8 trim, it had superb handling, and good comfort for such a sport car. Being twice as costly as the base model, this hopefully will stand out enough to sell on the competitive Letaran market.
(last minute qualification)
1989 Wolfe XSR V8R
Well, it was a last minute qualification, but Wolfe will be in the race! The V8R is basically the '88 V8 tweaked and tune for racing. The engine was increased to 4.3L and the suspension was redone completely, but this budget project basically saved a ton of cash from Wolfe development and expansion.
It will race in the old Olive Grey from the last gen Razor entry.
